The Battle of Blood River
Video file
by Pastor Mark Downey
Updated audio and full graphics on https://kinsmanredeemer.com/BloodRiver.htm
I get frequent inquiries from believers as well as mockers and doubters as to where God is these days. Where is He? They ask, “Why isn’t He performing supernatural miracles like the ones we read about in the Bible?” And of course I answer with the affirmation that He is the same yesterday, today and forever; that where two or more are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst of them.
There are some phenomenon’s that defy explanation, unless you’re a Bible-believing Christian and pray in faith knowing that that prayer will be answered and that everything will be well. In spite of all the terrible things that surround us, there is still hope and proof of deliverance. Our God delivers. I remember a lady back in our home state of Washington that gave a testimony of praise that I will never forget. She was going through a rough winter and even rougher economic times and couldn’t afford to fill her propane tank. And yet she unceasingly prayed and praised God that He wouldn’t let her freeze. And for some strange reason, her furnace kept firing up even though the tank’s gauge was reading empty. This phenomenon continued until Spring, when the outside temperatures got warmer and she didn’t need the furnace turned on. If God can replicate fish and bread in a little basket to feed 5,000 people, He can do the same with propane. I dare say that there most likely are over 5,000 testimonies of divine intervention today – right now, waiting to be witnessed, because God knows the needs of His people. But, you have to have eyes that see the hand of God and know that miracles are not dumb luck or coincidences. Those that can’t see are blind and they lead other blind people into a ditch.
Today, I’m going to be a storyteller and the narrative is about overwhelming odds that Las Vegas bookmakers would lose their shirts on. Gamblers are not faith orientated. They play the numbers and statistics. So the following Scripture wouldn’t have much credibility in their pursuit of making wagers and hitting the jackpot.
"Five of you shall chase a hundred and one hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight, and your enemies shall fall by the sword" (Lev. 26:8). Can you believe such a lopsided ratio? I got into this story at the behest of Pastor Lawrence about ten years ago and I am as honored today as I was then, with extreme prejudice, to tell you the story of Blood River. Before my research began, I only had a cursory knowledge of this event from a couple of pages in Richard Kelly Hoskins' book, "Vigilantes of Christendom". Researching this subject was a joy. As I collected information, I noticed some of the details had been sanitized from a variety of politically correct sources. There are those who would reduce Blood River to secular history, but the Holy Spirit will not permit me to ignore the divine ramifications and the miraculous destiny that our Lord has planned for His people, Israel.
We don't hear too much about the tribe of Nephtali, but its heraldry of the hind parallels to that of the South African gazelle. However, it is not just coincidence of coat of arms where we find the identity of the White man in South African history. Before we look at Blood River, it's important to know what happened before that, just as circumstances were critical to the Christian foundations of America.
One of the marks of Israel would be that we become explorers, having command of the seas and would colonize the desolate places. In 1498, Vasco daGama would sail his flagship around the Cape of Good Hope, the southern tip of Africa for a commercial trade route to India. The only civilized people who spent much time ashore were the survivors of shipwrecks. In 1662, the Cape settlement numbered about 250 White people, whom nearly half were servants of the Dutch East 
India Company. The company made a serious effort to encourage immigration, and by 1707, the population was about 1800 people, owning about 1,100 slaves (White). The modern Afrikaners are descended from this servant class who were freed at that time, along with about 200 French Huguenots, and being discharged from the Cape, were sent out into the frontiers to settle the land. The commercial interest had no vision of a New Netherlands in South Africa, nevertheless, during the 18th century that's exactly what was happening to the predominate Dutch Calvinists, realizing another mark of Israel: possessing great natural resources. By 1795, they increased to 1500 and regarded South Africa as their only home. Half of these people were the Trekboers living further into the interior, and within a few years, it became possible to take occupation of 6000 acres for semi-nomadic farming and ranching. The result was a continuous expansion twice as large as England. Some officials expressed concern over their isolation. But, like their counterparts, the American pioneers of the Old West, they were rugged individualists preserving a sound domestic morality from the Bible. They also traveled in covered wagons and formed defensive circles called 'laagers'. They were a humble, salt of the earth type of Israelite entering the wilderness that would transform into a promise land of challenges and blessings.
During these years of prosperity, South Africa was attracting the attention of British evangelicals, who were pushing to free the nonwhite races. In 1835 the damnable Brits passed an insane piece of civil rights legislation called Ordinance 50, in which all policies of racial segregation were banned, the Negro was given full citizenship to vote, severe taxes were imposed, the prohibition of their native language, Afrikaans, and the stipulation that any repeal or amendments could only be done in England. This law of race traitors left the Afrikaners (the White Christians) feeling that they had lost control over their lives and destiny to a foreign power arrayed against them on the side of those who were not of their race.
Missionaries from the Anglican Church, headed by the Queen, preached a radical pro-Negro policy advocating interracial marriage. As an example to others, many missionaries and demented Whites in the Cape Colony married Black women and founded interracial schools. They urged the Black and White children to socialize with each other. They brazenly paraded the children through the streets with signs saying 'we are of one blood'. The Voortrekkers or Boers knew that the blasphemy of institutionalized miscegenation would doom their culture. They defied the demands of the British to return to the coastal cities, and those within proximity to the Cape Colony, unable to survive or comprehend these liberal ideas, abandoned their businesses and farms, which were quickly pilfered by wandering free Negros and British carpetbaggers grabbing property for their own use. Negro tribes were now pouring into South Africa to take advantage of the British order that no retaliation be taken against Blacks who raped, looted and murdered Whites. The colonial magistrate actually ordered that the rampaging Blacks be considered innocent because, if they were treated with tolerance, they would behave properly.
Anna Steenkamp recorded that the British had placed the Negros on an equal footing with the Christians, contrary to the laws of God so that it was intolerable for any decent Christian to bow down beneath such a yoke "wherefore we withdrew in order thus to preserve our doctrines in purity. " Imbued with this spirit, some 12,000 Afrikaners packed their bags and loaded their covered wagons and left the colony, and started the famous 'Great Trek' into the unknown desolate lands of the north. At the same time, the Zulus were moving south into the same area. Being that they were not indigenous to this area, the land could not have been stolen from them.
The fierce Zulu warriors were at the peak of their power and knew no mercy. Often the Zulus would pretend friendship or ask for a truce, and then would brutally slaughter the emissaries. They would surround White farming communities and attack with spears and hatchets. Women and children would be raped and then tortured to death. The most famous of massacres, which prompted Blood River, was February 5, 1838, when the Voortrekkers tried to negotiate a land settlement with the Zulu king, Dengane. As the treacherous savages received Piet Retief and 70 unarmed Boers in their encampment, that evening, while feasting and celebrating the signing of a treaty ceding land to the Whites, the Zulus butchered every single man. In the months to follow, the Zulus went on the warpath, attacking and killing as many as 500 men, women and children at several other locations in the Natal area.
Dengane was best known for murdering Shaka and developing a highly mobile army reputed to cover as much as 40 miles in one day, and ruthlessly known for his scorched earth actions. His bloodstained reputation was personified in wanton cruelty. On November 18, 1838, the Voortrekkers undeterred by the massacres, were reinforced by timely supplies brought up by a charismatic Dutch farmer, Andries Pretorius, of which the city of Pretoria was named in his memory, becoming the capital of South Africa. However, under the Mandela-ANC regime, the city has been renamed to Tshwane, meaning Apetown. The Boers were without a leader and immediately elected Pretorius as commander general of the wagon trains. Pretorius was a combination of George Washington and Nathan Bedford Forrest and proceeded to avenge the White settlers' hell by defeating the Zulu presence in Natal and the organization of a Christian government. Pretorius developed a commando militia of 468 men in short order and began reconnaissance, scouting for the ideal logistics in which to secure the best possible advantage.
He received reports that the Zulus were on the hunt to find them. The numbers of Zulus were estimated to be between 10,000-15,000 savages who were born and bred for the purpose of warfare, which was half of their total population. Their weapons were lethal also; arrows with an accuracy of up to 60 meters away, spears, clubs, machetes and hatchets in the hands of trained killers. In contrast, the Boers were farmers, and all they had were primitive, inaccurate, muzzle-loaded flintlock muskets, and 3 old cannons loaded with any kind of scrap metal they could find to serve as shrapnel and, their most valuable military asset . . . God.
The Holy Spirit must have led them to the perfect spot for a fortified position, a stronghold with a deep erosion channel (what Americans in the southwest call an arroyo, and what the Boers call a donga).
It was a 14 foot deep trench on one side and the Ncome River into which it flowed on the other side; on the remaining sides were open plains to easily rake with gunfire. The laager was ingeniously configurated with 64 covered wagons drawn up close to one another with the shaft of one tied firmly to the deck of the one in front and the wheels were joined with chains. A large gateway in the middle of the crescent allowed for last minute access for their animals and an exit for their cavalry. A straight wall of wagons ran parallel with the donga about 20 meters from the edge. The other wagons were arranged in a wide crescent from one end of the wall to the other end, resembling a capital D.
Pretorius' inspiration, however, was not in the art of war; no, it was the way he forged and fortified the spirit of his men prior to the battle with a covenant made on December 9th and repeated every evening up to the 16th. They not only knelt down to pray, they were also making a solemn vow to our God in Heaven, as Sarel Cilliers, Pretorius' deputy commandant led the 464 commando pledging these words:
The trekkers arrived at Blood River on December 14th and set camp. Within the laager were their 900 oxen, 500 horses and other livestock. On the 15th, Pretorius sent out a patrol to entice the thousands of Zulus to attack, but they retired, hoping to lure the Boers into an ambush. Pretorius, of course, declined and the Zulus' fate was that they then had to attack. One of Dengane's war leaders planned to follow the Boer horsemen, cross the river and attack them that night, but the distance was further than they thought and they kept getting lost in a thick mist on a moonless night. Many Zulus reached the laager during the night, but they had no civilized infrastructure and there was confusion. It wasn't until dawn that the dense fog began burning off and most of the Zulu army was still crossing the river. The Zulus could have laid siege to the laager by waiting until the remaining two-thirds of their forces crossed over. Instead, some of the Zulu warriors who had crossed over attacked impulsively, being cut down, charge after charge. This first wave was successfully repulsed as the morning sun began to heat the terrain.
The atmosphere must have been incredible to the White Christians as the beating of war drums escalated. Hissing like a snake, the Zulus would dance and then begin their charge, decorated with necklaces made of human skulls and bones, screaming faces painted grotesquely. If you can imagine a thousand boom boxes playing rap music full blast at a Bloods and Crips convention, it doesn't come close to the blood curdling sounds of these maniacal aborigines. By noon the infernal temperatures could not beat back a second wave of attacks until it had almost reached the wagons. Inside the laager, a herd of cattle was threatened to stampede into the donga because of the smoke and roar of gunfire, so men were dispatched to that side and went outside the laager engaging in bitter hand to hand combat as reinforcements arrived to a few yards to the donga where the Zulus were packed solidly like sardines, and every one of them was shot dead. In spite of the downpour of spears and arrows that the spear chuckers chucked, all of the animals miraculously remained calm.
The Zulus now attacked with even greater ferocity, crossing the river in droves. The Boers would fire and reload again and again for hours, making each shot count. When the Zulus retreated to about 
500 yards, they hesitated to launch a third attack. The frenzied Blacks were in fear of what was happening to them. Where was the Zulu god that day? By this time, the slaughter was so great that the waters of the river turned red with blood. Ammo was running low, so Pretorius sent men out on horseback to draw the Zulus out. Two charges brought little results, but a third assault and counterattack of 300 horsemen split the Zulu army in half. The Boers displayed such bravery that the Zulus were terror stricken and fled with the Whites in pursuit. A late charge by the most elite of the Zulu warriors was of no avail as they became entangled with retreating cannon fodder. The Boer horsemen were able to pick off the Zulus lining the banks of the river. The final attack lasted almost an hour and, when it began to weaken, Pretorius put the Zulus to flight as his cavalry pursued them for hours. Towards midday, the pursuit was called off.
Three to four thousand Zulu impis (the best of their warriors) lay dead. Not one White man or any of his animals were killed. There were only three minor wounds, including Pretorius himself. As the dust settled from battle and victory was realized, the men did not have a big party, but rather a solemn thanksgiving service was held. The plain and simple fact of the matter is that it was a miracle of God. According to the historical record, not hysterical antichrist propaganda, there were surviving Zulus of that day of battle and testified to witnessing an army of White soldiers firing from a white cloud that hovered above the laager all day. It sounds like the shekinah cloud of glory with the host of heaven. "Let them be as chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord chase them" Ps. 35:5.
From our own church website, FGCP.org, there’s an article by a descendant of the Boers who makes this commentary: “After the first shots, they had to wait for the smoke of the gun powder to clear. Then the second wonder happened when the smoke cleared. Something made the Zulu regiments hesitate in bewilderment. The regiments consisting of the younger warriors started fleeing, only to be slaughtered by the older veterans as they fled. Now these younger regiments knew that if they fled, they would be killed by the older warriors. The survivors related after the battle that they saw thousands of glowing giant men all around the laager that scared them into panic and scared them so much that they fled into the arms of the waiting indunas who slaughtered the younger warriors. Just around the laager three thousand corpses of dead Zulus was counted. The third wonder was that the hundreds of oxen stood quietly while the guns roared around them. In ordinary circumstances these animals would have stampeded, trampling everyone in their way to death. And the fleeing Zulus did not stop running. When Dingaan got the message of what happened, he burnt his capital and ran with them to present day Swaziland where they were killed by the Swazis. The mighty but evil reign of the Zulu nation was finally broken.”
The Afrikaners know their survival is completely dependent on divine intervention. Blood River has been called the mythical underpinnings of apartheid rule. The Christian Boers did not ascribe the military victory to their armaments; they interpreted the battle as a sign from God. With the battle behind them, they believed even more strongly that White predominance over Blacks is the will of God. Indeed, it is their mandate; it is OUR mandate to take dominion of the earth. And to that, we should all say amen.
December 16th is still observed by some Boers as a Sabbath called ‘The Day of the Vow’. On that day their pioneer ancestors made a pledge to God, which He honored by ordering His angelic legions to assist in the battle between the forces of light and the powers of darkness. South Africa is again facing fearful odds, who like their forefathers, will be forced to bend their knee and renew themselves as God’s covenant people.
We in America are likewise under an oppressively dark antichrist adversary, because we have fallen away from being a Christian nation and been a whoring after strange gods. Our Blood River is coming and we will lose the battle if the Lord of hosts is not our Commander in Chief.
I received an email from a brother in Christ and would like to close with his comments:
“I am a 27 year old Afrikaaner (White South African), having just read your page on the Battle of Blood River. Several of my ancestors took part in that very battle. I would like to confirm that what you wrote is absolutely correct and happened just as you wrote.
I would like to add that my great great great grandmother, Anna Smit, who was married to Jacob Smit was in the laager aiding the men by ensuring that their ammunition was supplied at the correct rate. She has written in her diary a very interesting event of which I would like to share with you:
Women were not allowed to fire weapons or actively participate in battle unless their husbands were killed. Anna, in angst, prayed openly as the battle progressed. She asked God to use her as He saw fit to ensure His will was done.
As she prayed, she saw a great mist above the laager with a searing light shining through. She immediately knew that although she could not fire a weapon, she could supply the men with the ammo they needed as supplies of ammo were not evenly distributed around the laager. As she moved around, she was quite open and a target for spears from the Zulu warriors. However, every time a spear was thrown towards her, the shining Presence above the laager would protect her. Not a single spear even landed within 10 feet of her. This, despite the fact the Zulu's could throw a light spear and impale an animal from 100 feet away.
What touches me about this is what happened next.
As she moved the ammo around, she prayed over the ammo. She writes in her diary that (translated), "I could move the crates and boxes of ammunition but I could not open them for when they were opened by the men and the ammunition removed, I witnessed the blood of Christ on it".
Anna lived to the good age of 97 (in 1899 when she died that was an exceptional age). She had 13 children - all of whom were raised in a strong Christian home in the middle of a savage continent. It shows that nothing, NOTHING, can stand in the way of God's will. I will always honor her. Thank you for reading my email. I pray God blesses your ministry.” Johan van der Berg
Today there are all sorts of deniers and skeptics of divine miracles and the supernatural power of God. But that is only because He is under constant attack to undermine His sovereignty; and people who are gullible enough to believe antichrist propaganda. Irrespective of all the darkness that envelopes our society, there is still hope, because Christians believe the Light of the world shineth in darkness, even though mongrel mentalities may not comprehend that it is multicultural communism that is destined for destruction by the one true God of the Holy Bible. Our race, whether in South Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand or this North American continent, will be saved from our enemies when we honor the God who has always covenanted with only one people. God addresses the White race, His holy nation, in Amos 3:2 by saying, “You only have I known of all the families [races] of the earth.” May we, as a people, once again, come to know Him as our Savior and sing ‘it is well with my soul.’
Additional Reading on South Africa: Pray for Naphtali
